Who doesn't smoke weed in college?? Seriously, I think it's blown out of proportion. Does the NCAA take allegations of drug use as seriously as the NFL? NO...the fact that Hernandez is now in the NFL should curtail his herbal habit...unless of course he's the 2nd coming of Ricky Williams. Don't forget that the kid is only 20 and lost his father within the past couple of years. If BB thinks he'll behave, he should get the benefit of the doubt.

TP, he failed ONE test!! Not an addict... It's already been mulled over that Breer made up those sources that stated that he failed more then one test... The profootball link cites Breer as their source, thus going back to the multiple sources Breer fabricated... I'm pumped for this kid! Bring on the season already!!

Who cares, Marijuana isn't an addictive nor a gate way drug. People are just stupid, I use Marijuana medically in California and I go running everyday and have 3.6 gpa in college. WHO CARES! get with the times already, criminalizing booze never worked and its not working for marijuana right now. FACT - alcohol is more harmful to your body than marijuana, alcohol is a poisen to your body. While the thc in marijuana is found naturally in the human brain and thats why it affects us. get a clue dude.

I admit I didn't know much about Hernandez prior to the draft(didn't watch much college football last year). But if he dropped out of the 1st rd because of weed, then he may prove to be the steal of the draft! With Brady tossing the pigskin, even an average TE will look like an all pro.

I admit I didn't know much about Hernandez prior to the draft(didn't watch much college football last year). But if he dropped out of the 1st rd because of weed, then he may prove to be the steal of the draft! With Brady tossing the pigskin, even an average TE will look like an all pro.Posted by BBRULES23

don't say that...remember watson? until the 5 ol-men find a way to keep rushers away from tb, that te will end up having to block a lot.

Who cares, Marijuana isn't an addictive nor a gate way drug. People are just stupid, I use Marijuana medically in California and I go running everyday and have 3.6 gpa in college. WHO CARES! get with the times already, criminalizing booze never worked and its not working for marijuana right now. FACT - alcohol is more harmful to your body than marijuana, alcohol is a poisen to your body. While the thc in marijuana is found naturally in the human brain and thats why it affects us. get a clue dude. BTW, this kid will be something special with TB, imo.Posted by freediro

OK, OK, marijuana isn't a gateway drug to everyone... that's true... however if you ask just about anyone that has been, or is addicted to cocaine, heroin, or just about any narcotic, you'll find they started out smoking weed.

It's not that they were stupid... sometimes other drugs just find their way into the picture. Marijuana shows up in drug testing for months after it's smoked. Cocaine is out of your system in a couple of days. HMMM... maybe someone that likes to get high, but wants to be clean for a possible random drug test on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.. might party with coke on Friday night. Does that seem like a gateway from marijuana to coke? It's not smart to do hard drugs, but some people make bad decisions, like this one, and end up on a bad road. I had about six or seven close friends that smoked weed regularly in college. All ended up "trying" coke, after all sweared they would never do anything stronger then mushrooms. Three have been to rehab, another fell into ridiculous debt, and another (35 yrs old) is still living with his parents, strung out on coke, pills, and alcohol. I never got into smoking weed, and I never judged my friends for enjoying their afterwork smoke. It killed me everytime I found out one of them started doing coke. It messed up all of their lives for a good while.

Marijuana is relatively harmless, much less dangerous than hard drinking. Unfortunately, it isn't legal, and it likely will never be legal. Everyone has to grow up sometime. Hopefully, Hernandez was just experimenting a bit. If you get to earn millions doing what you love, then just stay off drugs, be a role model, and find better outlets to cope. Winning a Super Bowl would beat any type of artificial high anyways.

I need to tell my niece that pot isn't addictive. She's been trying to lay off of it for months now. Once I give her the news that it isn't addictive, I guess she'll be able to quit stone cold. Maybe the pot isn't addictive, but the soothing effects of it are? lol.

I can forgive him for risking his career in college. He was young and dumb, it it has already cost him millions. If he risks his career in the NFL to smoke pot, he's an idiot. Right, wrong, or indifferent, pot is banned by the NFL. If you risk a rare chance to play in the NFL over any banned substance, your a moron. That is especially the case with pot, since it isn't even addictive right?

I trust that since BB knows his college coach quite well, he did his homework on the guy. Either BB was assured he can count on Hernandez or he saw such a steal in round 4 that he was willing to take a chance anyway. I'm glad we picked him up and think he's going to do well.

RESPONSE: Come on, now. This from the Globe article which I cited in my initial post:

“It’s not like he failed one test,’’ said the AFC college scout.“He had repeated issues with it, to the point where you worry about whether he’ll be able to lay off the stuff at our level. To be honest, he’s super talented and, even with the issues, I’m surprised he fell as far he did."...(and)

“He had multiple positive tests, so he either had issues or he’s dumb. One or two tests? Fine. But four, five, six? Come on, now you’ve got an addiction. He’s not a bad kid. He just has an issue.’

What does "it's already been mulled over mean"? Speculated upon? Guessed at?? The kid has admitted marijuana use. His use of the drug is the reason why he lasted until the Pats selected him with the 113th overall pick. The kid's marijuana use is major cause for concern, especially in light of the NFL's strict substance abuse policy.

Breer NEVER came forward and named any sources. Breer reported on incorrect info too hastily and threw this kid under the bus unnecessarily. Hernandez had a press conference and said it happened ONCE. The Patriots stand behind him telling the truth, so I think I'm going to believe him, and doubt the shotty reporter that uses WAY too many anonymous sources!!!

The concept of this guy falling out of the 1st round because of marijuana use is correct. HOWEVER, the concept of him failing multiple times was ONLY reported by Breer, no one else found this info! Hmmmm, no other reporters were able to get this info, and Breer had "multiple" sources... I'm not buying it, sorry.

This guy is much more of a football player than Watson. Watson wasn't winning the Mackey as a sophmore. Watson is a great athlete, but that was the problem. He wasn't a football player. There is no way they lose 4 games lst year, one of those to your bustling Miami Dolphin juggernaut, because they didn't have a 3rd WR or TE option and then upgrade, only to pretend one of these 3 new TEs won't work. Good luck wondering where the ball is going in 2010. You knew where it was going in 2007, 2008 and 2009, but those days are done.Posted by russgriswold

i love overconfident pats fans who think they will beat the phins...

and no one knew where the ball was going in in 07 unless you are on crack or had a swami hat...you had the murderer as your 3rd WR, moss, welker, watson, maroney, faulk, and a few other guys

and lets not pretend here like the phins didnt get better...because they did...and if they stay healthy(unlike last year) then we will give the pats a run for their money

but even if the phins win, you are going to come back here and chastise the relationship parcells has with goodell and how he changed the rules to make the phins win or some non-sense like that

This guy is much more of a football player than Watson. Watson wasn't winning the Mackey as a sophmore. Posted by russgriswold

I'm confused. Did a recent Pats draft pick win the Mackey award as a sophomore? Was it McCourty? Spikes? I feel like someone keeps mentioning this award in every single post they make but I can't remember who.

Now that he's got NFL money he can switch to LSD which is virtually undetectable through drug testing. Then again maybe he matures a little and decides not to risk pot use again until later in life. Why can't everyone just stick with alcohol the legal national drug? Sure he might beat his wife drunk out of his mind or run over a homelss person but he'll pass his drug test.

In Response to Re: Pats Sign Hernandez : You may want to research why it is illegal and how much money this country wastes on a race based policy. The same thing happened with Prohbiiton too, but the gov't lost control of that and therefore lost money, so it became legal even though it was sort of an anti-Irish based program. Marijuana is illegal here because our gov't actually profits off it (private prisons, mandatory minimums, lawyers, cops, judges, etc) even with wasteful spending with it being "illegal". Just my .02 on that topic.Posted by russgriswold

now this i agree on, mostly

prohibition was set into place not only because americans drank too much...but because the quality of alot of fresh water after 30 years of the industrial revolution was terrible and alcohol served as the best quality liquid to put into your body which made the problem even worse

and then compounded by gangs and more crime, it becamse quite apparent that the illegality of liqour was worse than it being legalized

but the initial prohibition of marijuana was race based legislation and then lots and lots of fear mongoring (which hasnt ended to this day) and too many private industries found ways to make money off those convicted of marijuana related "crimes"

sigh...fear mongoring...does so much harm and creates of lifestyle of fear of everything

Who cares, Marijuana isn't an addictive nor a gate way drug. People are just stupid, I use Marijuana medically in California and I go running everyday and have 3.6 gpa in college. WHO CARES! get with the times already, criminalizing booze never worked and its not working for marijuana right now. FACT - alcohol is more harmful to your body than marijuana, alcohol is a poisen to your body. While the thc in marijuana is found naturally in the human brain and thats why it affects us. get a clue dude. BTW, this kid will be something special with TB, imo.Posted by freediro

That is all well and good, but teams don't shy away from this based the detrimental effect of the plant. They do so because the league tests for, and the league suspends players for it. It is about as damaging as leaving school with a DUI. Teams question whether the player is going to find himself in trouble with the league.

Seriously TP you had to bring this up again? Give the kid a chance and let it go. If he screws up then jump all over him and the Patriots but come on for all we know he smoked a couple joints his freshman or sophmore year at some party. This has to be the dumbest story in the offseason. Brandon Tate tested positive for pot at last years combine of all places and nobody made a big issue of that.

I have seen coke addicts, crack addicts, and the list goes on but i have never in my life met a weed addict. And you know why? Cause you cant be an addict to weed its not the same as other drugs. I smoke weed on a daily basis and I go to work everyday, pay my taxes, got married last year, just got a new car, work with kids, and have never had an issue. Its just not the same thing as hard drugs. I dont even know why the NFL tests for it it is not a performance enhancer so what is the big deal? LT did coke for years with the Giants and never had an issue and people are hung up on this kid smoking some weed? give me a break.

"All my friends who were pot head teenagers are still pot heads 30 years later. If it's not addictive then they must just really really like it." - Tcal

So even though it is a proven fact that weed is not addictive as in they have done tests for YEARS on the subject and it is not addictive. You dont go through withdrawals when you stop the same way you do when you stop doing hard drugs. So maybe you should consider that your friends smoke weed because...its awesome LOL maybe they like it and dont want t quit because it doesn't mess with them. I dont know your friends situation but i smoke everyday and i go to work every day and pay my taxes and have a perfectly normal life.

"I need to tell my niece that pot isn't addictive. She's been trying to lay off of it for months now. Once I give her the news that it isn't addictive, I guess she'll be able to quit stone cold. Maybe the pot isn't addictive, but the soothing effects of it are? lol.

I can forgive him for risking his career in college. He was young and dumb, it it has already cost him millions. If he risks his career in the NFL to smoke pot, he's an idiot. Right, wrong, or indifferent, pot is banned by the NFL. If you risk a rare chance to play in the NFL over any banned substance, your a moron. That is especially the case with pot, since it isn't even addictive right?" - Caraway

Hey man make a joke of it all you want but weed is not addictive and that is a FACT. They have stupid the effects of weed for years and they always come to the same conclusion which is it is not addictive. You dont go through withdrawals when you stop smoking it. So if your niece cant stop smoking its cause she does not want to and it is that simple. When she is ready to stop she will stop its not like H or crack where it sinks its claws in and you cant stop and if you think weed is like those drugs you clearly need to learn some more about the drug before you act like you know. No offense by any of this bro you know i like you i just will stand up for weed any day of the week.